Construction roll screen unwinder and straightener



R. A. LEROY March 5, 1957 CONSTRUCTION ROLL SCREEN UNWINDER AND STRAIGHTENER' Filed Oct. 15, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Rene A Zero y all? March 5, 1 957 LEROY 2,783,817

CONSTRUCTION ROLL SCREEN UNWINDER AND STRAIGHTENER Filed Oct. 15, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1M1 Rene A, Zeroy gr'1 m March 5, 1957 R. A. LEROY 2,783,817

CONSTRUCTION ROLL SCREEN UNWINDER AND STRAIGHTENER Filed Oct. 15, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet s Mel L Rene .2. Zero United States Patent Q ce CONSTRUCTION ROLL SCREEN UNWINDER AND STRAIGHTENER Rene A. Leroy, Rockford, 111.

Application October 15, 1951, Serial No. 251,313

2 Claims. (Cl. 153-88) This invention relates to a construction roll screen unwinder and straightener, designed to expedite the unwinding and cutting to lengths of such heavy screen material, and, what is more important, eliminate the hazards of serious injury commonly associated with doing such work the old way, besides making the material straight so that it is ready for use and can be handled and worked with more readily.

- The principal object of my invention is to provide an elognated frame having on its one end portion upright supports to carry the shaft supporting the roll of wire screen and having intermediate its ends higher uprights supporting a roller of small radius at a predetermined elevation above the roll of screen material, over which the screen is adapted to be pulled in unwinding the screen from the underside of the roll, so that the screenis given a reverse crimp sufiicient to straighten it and cause it to lie flat on the ground. The screen, when straightened in this way can be out safely, there being no longer any danger of a loose cut end springing upwardly and putting out an eye or doing other serious injury to a workman Such injuries were very common when this material was handled the old way, which consisted in merely rolling the roll to unwind a given length lying on the ground and then cutting off the length thus unwound. The springback in the unstraightened material, taken together with the sharpness of the freshly cut ends on the wires, made a treacherous combination hard to cope with. 7

Another object is to provide on the frame between the crimping roller and the screen roll supports a guard or bumper overlying that portion of the screen extending between the roll and the crimping roller which will serve to retain the cut end portion of the wire screen if the loose end portion tends to spring upwardly when threading it through the rig, or when a straightened end portion is cut off next to the crimping roll. Transversely extending supports are also provided between the roll and crimping roller to engage the loose end portion of the screen from below so as to prevent downward buckling and retain the end portion between the guard or bumper and the transverse support.

Another object is to provide power operated sprocket means in conjunction with an annularly grooved support ing roller on the outgoing end of the frame at the required elevation below the level of the crimping roller to pull the screen material off the roll and over the crimping roller and give it a uniform crimp, the sprockets having cogs spaced to fit the mesh of the screen. Construction wire screen is commonly made in a 6-inch mesh, so that the one sprocket means will fit all materials to 'be unwound and straightened.

Still another object is to provide on the outgoing end of the frame suitable shears for cutting off the material each time a specified length has been unwound.

,The invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw ings, in whichlfig, 1 is a side view of the unwinding and straightening.

I showing the power operable unwinding means; and

Fig. 4 is an end view showing the cut ofr" shears.

The same reference numerals are applied to correspond ing parts throughout the views,

The elongated frame of the rig is designated generally by the reference numeral 4 and may be of any suitable or preferred construction, providing a pair of spaced uprights 5 on the one end portion, in the upper ends of which bearing recesses 6 are provided. The shaft 7 received in these bearings extends through the center of' the roll 8 of construction wire screen, this being of the kind made of rather heavy wire suitable for use in rein-1 forced concrete construction work in buildings and else where. A loading platform 9 of any suitable construc-' tion is provided on the same end of the frame 4 terminating in spaced relation to the bearing recesses 6, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the rolls of screen material can be lifted by means of a suitable hoist onto the platform 9 and rolled into place in the rig for unwinding and.

straightening, the shaft 7 finally rolling or sliding at its ends along the elevated side portions 9 of the platform until dropping into the bearing recesses 6. The uprights 5 have their upper end portions fastened to the extending side portions 9 of the platform 9, as indicated at 10, thus lending rigidity to these uprights and reinforcing the same so that they are adapted to carry the heavy loads which these rolls represent. Braces 11 are suitably provided on the other side of the uprights to further insure the needed strength and rigidity and to assume the side-thrust imposed on the uprights 5 when the wire screen material is pulled in the direction of these braces in unwinding the material from the roll'. Another pair of uprights 12 is provided intermediate the ends of the frame 4, and these uprights carry a shaft 13 on which a crimping roller 14 is mounted. The latter is of small radius and disposed at such an elevation with respect to the roll 8 of wire screen material that when the screen S is run over the :roller in unwinding from the bottom of the roll 8, in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the wire is given a reverse crimp sufiicient to straighten it so that it will lie flat and will not tend to curl up when a certain length of the screen so unwound and crimped is cut off. That eliminates most of the hazard that was formerly connected with unwinding and cutting such material to specified lengths. In some cases, where a low cost rig is desired, the free end of the screen S extended over crimping roller 14 may be simply attached to a truck or tractor and pulled to unwind the screen from the roll 8 and crimp it at the same time. However, as will soon appear, I prefer to provide power operated sprocket means indicated at 15 to pull the material from the roll 8 and over the crimping roller 14, because in that way a more uniform crimping action is assured. With that arrangement the screen, as it is unwound, is preferably also directed out over a table 16 between a pair of shear -blades 17 and 18, which can be operated in any suitable way, as by means of afoot treadle 19, to cut off an unwound length.

is intended to prevent the unstraightened length of material represented in the flight 21 from springing upwardly when the screen happens to be cut off not far beyond the roller 14. To further confine such a loose end portion and .prevent its dropping down to the bot-" tom of the frame and coming off the crimping roller 14,

. P atented Mar. 5, 1957 another roller 22 is providedon a shaft 23 parallel to and between the roller 14 and roll 8, "and "belowbut fairly close to the guard or bumper structure 20. In that way, when a loose end portion tends to spring up wardly and strikes the guard or bumper "structure 16,

the roller 22 engages the loose end portion of the wire screen from below and supports it against buckling downwardly too far away from structure 20, so that'there will surely be enough length left projecting beyond the roller 14 to take hold of for the nextpull, thereby speeding up the work considerably. The guard or bumper structure may be of any suitable or preferred construction, the one shown consisting of apair of longitudinally extending bars 24 fastened together intermediate their ends by a crossapiece 25 and fastened together at one end by another cross-piece 26, which is supported on brackets 27 projecting-from the uprights 5. Another cross-piece 28 hasthe other ends of the bars 24 fastened thereto and is fastened to theuprights 12. The bars 24 extend beyond the cross-piece 26, as indicated at 29, and are curved upwardly and in an are over and spaced from the roll 8, as indicated at 30, to serve as skids on which the wire screen material can slide if the roll 8 at the end of an unwinding operation should tend to loosen and expand to a larger radius due to the springback inherent in the rolled up material. These curved end portions 30, in other words, will serve to limit such loosening up of the wire screen material in the roll, Without, however, interfering with the subsequent unwinding. It is also contemplated that sliders or shoes may be provided either on the uprights 6 or on the end portions 30 of the bars 24 to ride on the periphery of the roll 8, as indicated at 31, to maintain a certain amount of drag on the turning of the roll 8 and in that way further insure a more uniform crimping action at the roller 14. The shoes 31 can be pivoted, as at 32, and spring actuated, as indicated at 33, to maintain contact with the roll throughout the unwinding operation, as the roll, of course, decreases in radius. Side-thrust on the uprights 12 incident to pulling the screen material S over the roller 14 is assumed to some extent by braces 34, and these uprights are further reinforced by the framework 35 that is attached to and extends from the other side thereof and is attached to the frame 4 for support of the roller 22.

A pair of spaced uprights 36 provide bearing supports for the ends of a shaft 37 on whicha plurality of spaced rollers 38 are welded or otherwise suitably secured for support of the screen material S while it is being unwound. Sprockets 40 operate in the spaces 39 between these rollers, the sprockets being secured on a shaft 41 received in other bearings provided therefor in the uprights 36. V-belt pulleys 42 are mounted on the projecting end portion of the shaft 41 to drive the same at a reduced speed in relation to the speed of a drive motor or engine and in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. The cogs 43 on the sprockehs 40 are spaced approximately 6 inches apart so as to mesh nicely with the wire screen, construction wire screen being commonly available in 6-inch mesh. It is apparent, therefore, that with this power unwinding means the screen can be unwound with far less trouble and in much less time than where a truck or tractor is It is also evident that because the flight '44 of thescreen material S is maintained uniformly at the downwalfd angle shown relative to crimping roller 14, andjbccause the unwinding by power operated sprockets 40 is certain to be at a more uniform rate and under more uniform tension, a more uniform crimping action is insured.

The screenmaterial S is directed from the power unt winding means out over a table 16 so thatv all that is necessary is for .a workman to conduct the outer-end awayfrm therigas thematerial is unwound. Then,

arsasir when a desired length has been unwound, the movable "shearblade 18 can be operated by "pressing "the treadle 19, after the motor or engine driving the unwinding means has been stopped. 'The blade 18 is suitably guided at its ends, as indicated at 45, and has a lever 46 which is pivoted at one end, as at 47, and pivotally connected thereto immediate the ends thereof, as indicated at 48, whereby to obtain the desired leverage.

Further. leverage is obtained by pivotally connecting, as at 49, a link 50 to the-free end'of the lever 46 and pivotally connecting the lower end of the link 50, as at 51, to an intermediate portion of the treadle 19, the

. latter beingpivotediat its inner mass at 52, to the frame 4. V

The cut-off shears may brief a rotary crank-operated type in lieu of the type shown, the cranks or eccentrics on the rotary shaft aving pitmans operated thereby and attached to the vertically reciprocable shear blade. The rotary shaft may be turned by a hand crank or by power, using 'a single revolution clutch, as only one reciprocation of the shear blade is needed. Also, in lieu of a continuous shear blade, I may use a plurality of V-shaped blades, locating such blades in laterally spaced relationship on a holder in the same spacing as the longitudinally extending wires of the screen to be cut, so that these wires will all be severed in the same stroke. Separate blades can be replaced, as required.

Another featnre that may be incorporated easily is 'a counter operated with the'sprocket shaft, so that one may readily measure out any given length of material from the roll by taking the readings off the counter. The cogs on the sprockets are six inches apart, as stated before, and, hence, each turn of the sprockets accounts for a definite known length of the material, which makes this method of measuring the material as it is unwound feasible.

In conclusion, while the present rig is best adapted for the use "mentioned, it should be evident that it may be used for unwinding and straightening other rolled metallic material of a similar kind, like wire fencing, for example.

It is believed the-foregoing description conveys agood understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A device for unwinding from a roll and simultaneously straightening construction wire screen wound in a roll, said device comprisingan elongatedframe, bearings on :one end portion thereof on which is supported a shaft carrying a roll of said screen to be unwound and straightened, the screen unwinding off the roll inwardly relative to the frame, a crimp member of small diameter in relation to the roll of screen material supported transversely of the frame in a predetermined elevated and appreciably inwardly spaced relation to the roll over which the-screen in the unwinding thereof is extended upwardly on a substantially straight line substantially tangent to both the roll and crimp member and then downwardly from said crimp member at a small angle so that there is a predetermined included angle of crimp between the incoming and outgoing screen at said crimp member, means exerting a pull on thescreen, from its free end so that it'pa'sses :over the crimp member under tension,.and means for placing a predetermined drag on the turning of the roll so as to maintain a predetermined tension in the screen as it passes over the crimp member, whereby to straighten the screen, said crimp member comprising a roller rotatably mounted so as to afford rolling friction in the crimping operation and accordingly reduce the amount ofpull necessary in unwinding and straightening the screen material, while-also insuring substantially equal tension-on the material on opposite sides of the crimp member, the device including an elongated guard extend;- ing frorn the vicinity-ct the roll'to the vicinity of the crimp member over and in closely spaced relation to the flight of screen material unwinding from the roll and passing over the crimp member to prevent accidental kickup of the free end when an unwound length is cut oil.

2. A device for unwinding from a roll and simultaneously straightening construction wire screen wound in a roll, said device comprising an elongated frame, bearings on one end portion thereof :on which is supported a shaft carrying a roll of said screen to be unwound and straightened, the screen unwinding oil the roll inwardly relative to the frame, a crimp member of small diameter in relation to the roll of screen material supported transversely of the frame in a predetermined elevated and appreciably inwardly spaced relation to the roll over which the screen in the unwinding thereof is extended upwardly on a substantially straight line substantially tangent to both the roll and crimp member and then downwardly from said crimp member at a small angle so that there is a predetermined included angle 10f crimp between the incoming and outgoing screen at said crimp member, means exerting a pull on the screen from its free end so that it passes over the crimp member under tension, and means for placing a predetermined drag on the turning of the roll so as to maintain a predetermined tension in the screen as it passes over the crimp member, whereby to straighten the screen, said crimp member comprising a roller rotatably mounted so as to afiord rolling friction in off, and a secondary guard spaced closely below the same flight of screen material preventing downward displacement of said free end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 602,931 Batey Apr. 26, 1898 683,047 Jacobs Sept. 24, 1901 1,039,167 Meier et a1 Sept. 24, 1912 1,761,906 Davy et a1 June 3, 1930 1,807,274 Beidler May 26, 1931 1,943,748 Talbot Jan. 16, 1934 2,190,986 Hudson Feb. 20, 1940 2,458,612 Luzzalto et al. Jan. 11, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 368,488 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1932 

